Spielburger’s – Philly Cheesesteak

Having not been in and around London for a period of time the options for reviewing a Burger within a commutable distance without burning in the car in 29 degree heat, was a head-scratcher. Spielburger has been on my own personal radar after reading the review by one of the Cheeseburgerme staff. He reviewed the 1216 and the Classic, from which, the former had a very respectable review. So, after conferring this evening, the target was the Philly Cheesesteak. In popular demand to the point of being sold out many a night, it seemed a prime opportunity to get a Deliveroo order in! See how it went….

The Bun: 18/20

At Cheeseburgerme, half of the fun is having different opinions on burgers and discussing amongst each other the components that make up our total score. This bun, for me, was a solid 18. A nice soft brioche that was lightly toasted but had a perfect bounce back on squeezing. I have to admit that I have become a little used to having a brioche bun now and although the excitement of a shiny soft brioche is not what it used to be since starting the website, it still delivers when it is good. There was no spectacular flavour in the brioche, but it was fresh, soft, shiny and added to the overall bite rather than take away, as some buns tend to do. Just like a goalkeeper – when they do well, nobody notices but when they have a bad day, they are entirely to blame!

The Toppings: 3/10

Now, one of the things that excited me about this Cheesesteak was the toppings. It was supposed to come with: Green Peppers, Onions, and Fried Potato Scraps. What I actually received was onions. No green peppers and no fried potato scraps. Was hugely disappointing but I cannot explain how much of a difference the missing toppings would have made. I thought the onions were good, they could have been a little sweeter given one of the main features of a cheesesteak is the caramelised onions. So, on the onions front, they did okay. The problem with this cheesesteak was, being in a bun, not a sub or roll as a cheesesteak would usually be received, there was a glaring texture imbalance. The green peppers and potato scraps definitely would have given a little more crunch to the bite rather than a slimy mess broken up by what can only be described as a poor ‘patty’.

The Condiments: 1/10

Scoring so poorly is never a nice thing to do. There was supposed to be mayo in the cheesesteak but unfortunately, I tasted it maybe once in the whole meal. I did actually see some, on the inside of the box. There was either the tiniest amount applied into the stack or, quite simply, the mayonnaise did not have any presence against the prominence of the cheese.

The Cheese: 19/20

On a brighter note, the cheese was impeccable. The mixture of Cheddar and Buffalo Mozarella was a phenomenal selection for this cheesesteak. The flavour of the buffalo mozzarella was lightly ‘cheesy’ but gave an amazing texture that interacted so well with the brioche it was scary. I think I quite easily could have just eaten this as a cheese melt and been completely satisfied. You know it was good when the next thing you do, once sitting on the sofa, was to Google search “Cheese melts in London”! The only reason I have deducted a point was purely for the application. Perhaps there was too much, perhaps a bun is just wrong for a cheesesteak? But, trying to control a slip and slide burger and constantly readjusting the position of the cheese was annoying, really annoying.

The Patty: 6/20

The ‘Dry Aged Skirt Steak’ was simply terrible. It was overcooked and under-rested leaving whatever richness the aging process would usually infuse just words on a page. The meat was grey. After countless failed steaks in my house, I can speculate that the meat was under-seasoned, overcooked, and did not have any rest time. To be quite honest, if I had not been so hungry I would have thrown it in the bin and used the amazing cheese mix for a cheese melt!

The Taste: 11/20

The overall taste was above average, saved by a brilliant cheese mix and nice onions. After reading the review for the 1216 I have to admit I am disappointed with the cheesesteak from Spielburger. Perhaps the addition of the green peppers and potato scraps could explain why this cheesesteak is constantly sold out. Needless to say on the evidence of my own experience I would only try this again if those components were guaranteed and something was done about the chef on the meat!

Our Verdict: 60/100

I have to be honest that 60 seems to be a little high for the experience of the Philly Cheesesteak. Having had a brilliant cheesesteak from Passyunk the standard is very high, but irrespective the omission of components and overcooked meat is not acceptable. Brilliant cheese mix, by far one of the best I, personally, have had since working at Cheeseburgerme but that is the cheesesteak’s saving grace. You can check out Spielburger on Deliveroo here